A Birthday and the Brat Stop

Today was Brian's birthday, and we had such a fun day. The boys insisted on breakfast in bed. We both chose the special of the day -- Lucky Charms -- with a banana and coffee. I kept telling Brian I had a surprised planned for him, but didn't give any clues. Even the kids didn't know what we were doing, for fear of them spilling the beans. We hopped in the car and drove. Forty-five minutes later, we pulled into the Brat Stop in Kenosha. And who was waiting for us there, but 16 of our friends from south of the border. We barely saw the kids, who spent most of their time riding the carousel and playing games -- while the adults enjoyed some afternoon beer and bloody mary's. Cannot remember the last time that's happened, but it was pretty awesome. We all had such a great time. The surprise worked, and Brian was happy. Success. The only downside, is now we cannot stop talking about how much we miss these people.

Florida :: One Final Photo

(via Brian's Instagram)

Florida :: Day 8

Our last day on vacation. We didn't have a flight until the evening, so had a whole day before we had to leave. Brian and I went running (I ran 4.3 miles every day except one -- quite amazing especially considering I haven't been running much at all for awhile), then my dad and I rode over to the "fake" dog park (a street where a bunch of dog owners meet and let their dogs run) to meet my mom and the boys. The boys had to say good-bye to their favorite dog, Gracie (a huge Rottweiler). After we packed, Brian and I went on a kayak ride. It was so much fun, even if we didn't get see another manatee. Bummer. While we were there, my dad took H fishing ... and he finally caught one! And my mom and C played baseball. So our time was well spent. C might be the only one excited to be home. While he did have a great time, he missed his friends, his bed, his room, his sofa. The rest of us are kind of bummed out though. We all just had so much fun.

Florida :: Day 7

Our last full day here, and we sure jammed a lot in. After morning homework, we went to the Everglades Wonder Garden. The last time we were there, H was 2 years old, and C was in the Baby Bjorn. It's been awhile. But we drove by it a couple times, and they really wanted to go. It's a pretty crazy place that's been around for years. The boys loved it. As soon as we got home, swim suits were on, and the rest of the afternoon was spent in the pool. While this was going on, my dad and I snuck away and took kayaks through the mangroves. It was a perfect day for it. Right as we were turning around to come back, we saw a manatee. After all the years of canoeing in this area, I've never seen one. And I've got to tell you, it was pretty amazing. I did freak about a bit when I looked down and it was right below me -- the thing was enormous. And I was in a kayak. But it was awesome. We ended up seeing another one too, but it was not nearly as large as the first one. So cool. Early in the evening, my parents had a bocce match (they are on a league ... too funny) so we went to do some cheerleading. Brian and I snuck away for a drink at the Hyatt before coming home, but when we came back, everyone else was gone playing tennis so we met up with them there, then out for dinner. And right now, the boys are hanging out in the hot tub watching Jaws.

Florida :: Day 6

Weather-wise, today was the best so far. A perfect 80 degrees. We were supposed to go out on a larger boat and drive down to Naples today, but when we got to the boat club, they told us the waves in the Gulf were too large, and we got a pantoon boat. C was bummed he didn't get the boat with the toilet, microwave and bed, but we had a really great day on the water again. As we were coming back to the boat club, we had a bunch of dolphins swim right by our boat. It was quite amazing. The evening was spent at home, swimming, walking my parents dog and just relaxing. Nice.

Florida :: Day 5

Another fun, busy day! We started our morning by going to the Farmer's Market where we picked up some clams from our favorite vendor. Lunch was a full on farmer's market lunch with all of the produce we picked up. Afterwards, we went over to Barefoot Beach. We set up our area by a fisherman, who happened to catch a baby hammerhead shark right in front of us. Very cool -- and thank goodness I had no intention of going in the water. The boys did though. Even the shark didn't even stop them. After some hot tub time and dinner at home, we headed back on out. This time, for miniature golf and frozen yogurt. We are trying our best to fit everything in while we are here. The time always goes by so fast but thankfully, we still have a couple days left.

Florida :: Day 4

It's amazing how fast the mornings go by here. The boys do their homework -- considering they are only missing 3.5 days of school, they have a ton -- Brian and I have been runnning, my dad works, my mom walks the dogs, runs errands, etc. And before you know it, it's lunch time. Today we took another boat out so the boys could fish. H, who absolutely loves fishing, still hasn't caught a thing. He's such a good sport though. We were out all afternoon. The weather is warmer and it was pretty perfect day. Time is flying.

Florida :: Day 3

We woke up to a cooler day. The highs reached the low-60s. I"m not complaining, but definitely not beach weather. So after the morning got away from us -- the kids did homework, Brian and I went for a run -- we all had a little road trip to Pine Island (just north of Sanibel Island) and had lunch at Tarpon Lodge. Now we are having a quiet night at home after a little bike ride, and swim (despite the cold).

Florida :: Days 1 & 2

We left snowy Milwaukee yesterday afternoon and arrived in time for dinner to sunny Florida. It's not overly warm right now, but I'll take it nonetheless. The boys woke up bright and early, and had to go swimming, of course. Then we went out on a boat and fished for a little bit. My dad pulled out a huge catfish thing, and when he was getting the hook out of it's mouth, a little black sucker fish (or shark -- we have no idea) came flying out of it's mouth. Two fish for one. C caught the other fish, who sported some pretty amazing denture-like teeth. The sun, wind, and fresh air have all made us quite tired. We had a great Greek dinner, and now, are headed to bed. Getting ready for another fun day in the sun.

Art by C :: Waddle Waddle

I asked C what this was. "Oh," he said. "It's a Waddle Waddle." (A Waddle Waddle is a make-believe duck character -- it's somewhere towards the right on the picture -- I'm not sure I see it). There is also a mouse (the eyeballs by the blue thing), bug eggs (the little white things) and on top, a raccoon eating garbage.

Snow Day

A foot of very wet, thick snow. Thank goodness for my helper who shoveled while I used the snowblower. We were outside for nearly two hours. He's already been out three more times running around, but I'm exhausted. I really don't mind clearing the snow -- and when Brian isn't gone on a business trip, he's ok with it too -- but this was quite the undertaking. Whew.